ABSTRACT
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, separated co-parents have faced a myriad of novel decisions about their children's health, education, and well-being. The pandemic simultaneously exposed and deepened the fault lines of co-parenting, while highlighting the state's failure to invest sufficiently in dispute resolution for parents. Limited access to equitable and effective dispute resolution options has made it more difficult for co-parenting mothers to participate fully in decision-making about their children, particularly low-income, never-married Black mothers. Family mediation offers a promising path forward yet is inaccessible to many mothers on the margins. This chapter uses an intersectional lens to surface the challenges with pandemic co-parenting and the shortcomings of currently available dispute resolution options for co-parenting Black mothers, including those who have experienced intimate partner violence. The piece sets forth a vision for family mediation that centers co-parenting Black mothers by creating community-based, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed options.
